Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) assistant coach Shane Watson recently provided an update regarding the availability of Sri Lankan fast bowler Mathisha Pathirana. Ahead of their IPL 2026 opener against Mumbai Indians (MI), the former all-rounder admitted that the franchise is currently playing the waiting game.
Kolkata Knight Riders bought Pathirana for ₹18 crore during the mini-auction. The right-arm fast bowler is currently undergoing rehabilitation due to a calf muscle strain. Sri Lanka Cricket is closely monitoring his recovery, and the fast bowler will miss the initial stages of the Indian Premier League 2026 season.
It’s a waiting game at the moment – Shane Watson on Mathisha Pathirana availability
During the pre-match press conference, Shane Watson said that Kolkata Knight Riders will not rush the return of Mathisha Pathirana. The assistant coach said the franchise is following the medical advice given by Sri Lanka Cricket to ensure his long-term fitness.
“With Pathirana, obviously, it’s a waiting game at the moment. We are being guided by the Sri Lankan Cricket Board and we are doing everything we can to get him here as soon as possible,” Watson said.
“We will definitely never put pressure on him before it’s necessary. Because the last thing we want as KKR is for him to play the first game, try to come back too quickly and get hit again,” he said.
The Knight Riders have suffered a number of bowling injuries. Harshit Rana and Akash Deep were ruled out of the tournament, replaced by Navdeep Saini and Saurabh Dubey. Blessing Muzarabani replaced Mustafizur Rahman, who was released by KKR following BCCI’s instructions.
That was for probably the first six or seven years – Shane Watson
Shane Watson said that injuries are a big opportunity for domestic players to showcase their skills. The former Australian all-rounder also highlighted the development of Indian talent in the IPL.
“The thing for me is that for a period of time, I would say probably six or seven years, every time you played against an opposition team, there were usually one or two home players who were the weakest in the team who, from a batting perspective, you could potentially expose,” Watson said.
“Or from a bowling perspective, you can try to suffocate that player and suffocate the team around them. That was the case for maybe six or seven years before the IPL. It’s not like that at all now.”
I’m personally not a big fan of Shane Watson on the Impact Player rule
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